During our 2022 Parks as Democracy? Luncheon and Conference, we celebrated individuals and groups who do so much for Chicago's parks and park users. Click here to return to the full list of VIP (Volunteers-in-Parks) Awardees.
Olmsted Award
Washington Park Camera Club
Each year at our Parks as Democracy? Luncheon and Conference, Friends of the Parks presents a signature award to a special individual or group that represents our theme for the year and inspires us all to action in support of Chicago’s parks. This year, we are pleased to present the “Olmsted Award” to the Washington Park Camera Club, a group that helps us remember both Frederick Law Olmsted in his 200th birthday year and the 100th anniversary of the Fountain of Time at the intersection of Washington Park and the Midway Plaisance. This group reminds us that parks are for all people, which is especially important amidst debates about whether environmental and park protection concerns matter to people of color. We are excited to present the “Olmsted Award” to them today and are thankful that they will allow us to share in their reveling in the history of Frederick Law Olmsted’s iconic parks via their photographic presentation: “South Park Then and Now.”
Founded in 1955, the Washington Park Camera Club is the oldest, predominately African American camera club in the Chicago area. In 2022, the Camera Club launched a virtual exhibit titled “South Park: Then and Now” to celebrate Frederick Law Olmstead’s 200th birthday. Through their camera lenses, they showcased how the celebrated landscape architect and abolitionist’s dreams of parks as places for people of all backgrounds has come to fruition. “South Park Then and Now” shares the stories of three connected, Olmsted-designed parks — Washington, Jackson and the Midway Plaisance — pairing up images from past photographers with those taken by camera club members. The 22-minute video, weaves together historic and contemporary images of the parks with recent photography by 13 members of the club. The project documents continuity and changes while highlighting the importance of Olmsted’s landscapes in the past and the vital role they play in the lives of Chicagoans today. The exhibit shows how details throughout the parks may change, but the parks’ purpose of bringing people together remains.
Washington Park Camera Club
Each year at our Parks as Democracy? Luncheon and Conference, Friends of the Parks presents a signature award to a special individual or group that represents our theme for the year and inspires us all to action in support of Chicago’s parks. This year, we are pleased to present the “Olmsted Award” to the Washington Park Camera Club, a group that helps us remember both Frederick Law Olmsted in his 200th birthday year and the 100th anniversary of the Fountain of Time at the intersection of Washington Park and the Midway Plaisance. This group reminds us that parks are for all people, which is especially important amidst debates about whether environmental and park protection concerns matter to people of color. We are excited to present the “Olmsted Award” to them today and are thankful that they will allow us to share in their reveling in the history of Frederick Law Olmsted’s iconic parks via their photographic presentation: “South Park Then and Now.”
Founded in 1955, the Washington Park Camera Club is the oldest, predominately African American camera club in the Chicago area. In 2022, the Camera Club launched a virtual exhibit titled “South Park: Then and Now” to celebrate Frederick Law Olmstead’s 200th birthday. Through their camera lenses, they showcased how the celebrated landscape architect and abolitionist’s dreams of parks as places for people of all backgrounds has come to fruition. “South Park Then and Now” shares the stories of three connected, Olmsted-designed parks — Washington, Jackson and the Midway Plaisance — pairing up images from past photographers with those taken by camera club members. The 22-minute video, weaves together historic and contemporary images of the parks with recent photography by 13 members of the club. The project documents continuity and changes while highlighting the importance of Olmsted’s landscapes in the past and the vital role they play in the lives of Chicagoans today. The exhibit shows how details throughout the parks may change, but the parks’ purpose of bringing people together remains.
